Bellville, Ohio, 1,526 students in 5 schools

Clear Fork Valley Local School District Snow Day Predictor

Q: How much snow does Bellville get?

About 28.6 inches a winter at a NOAA weather station 14 miles away, averaged over 10 winters. Between December 1 and March 31 that brings 2.4 weekday mornings a year with 2 inches of new snow or more, and 0.5 with 4 inches or more.

Q: What was the biggest snow day near Clear Fork Valley?

12.6 inches on January 19, 2019, the largest single day at a NOAA weather station 14 miles away in 10 winters. The snowiest winter was 2018 to 2019, with 46.7 inches.

Q: How does the Clear Fork Valley snow day predictor work?

It reads the National Weather Service forecast for Bellville through the night and the 5 to 8 am bus run, adds winter alerts and the Winter Storm Severity Index, and measures the snow against Clear Fork Valley’s own big snow morning: 2.5 inches, the top tenth of snowy weekday mornings at a NOAA weather station 14 miles away.

Q: Can Ohio schools hold a remote day instead?

A school can make up the hours of up to three closed days online, including for hazardous weather, if its board adopted a plan by August 1; using it is optional.

The odds of a closing or a delay on the next three school mornings in Clear Fork Valley, measured against Clear Fork Valley's own big snow morning of 2.5 inches.

The next three school mornings

Will Clear Fork Valley close tomorrow?

Reading the National Weather Service forecast for the overnight and the bus hours in Bellville.

Ten winters of school mornings

Clear Fork Valley’s snow record

28.6inches of snow a winter

2.4school mornings a winter with 2 in of new snow or more

0.5with 4 in or more

2.5 ina big snow morning in Clear Fork Valley: the top tenth of snowy school mornings

2.9school mornings a winter at 0 F or colder

1.9Nov

5.5Dec

9.9Jan

6.7Feb

2.9Mar

Average snowfall by month, inches

Biggest day 12.6 in on January 19, 2019
Snowiest winter 2018 to 2019, 46.7 in
6 in mornings 0.1 a winter
1 in mornings 5 a winter

Measured at a NOAA weather station 14 miles away. Mornings are the 7 am snow reading on a weekday from December 1 through March 31, over the ten winters from 2016 to 2017 through 2025 to 2026, from NOAA GHCN Daily.

The Ohio rule

How Ohio counts a lost day

Ohio requires hours, not days: 910 hours for full day kindergarten through grade 6, 1,001 hours for grades 7 to 12, 455 for half day kindergarten. Only hours that drop a school below the state minimum must be made up, by extending the school year.

The Ohio rules in the agency’s own words, and every Ohio district

Next door

Districts near Clear Fork Valley

District	Snow a winter	4 in mornings
Lexington Local School DistrictLexington	28.6 in	0.5
Mansfield City School DistrictMansfield	28.6 in	0.5
Fredericktown Local School DistrictFredericktown	31.1 in	1.1
Madison Local School DistrictMansfield	28.6 in	0.5
Ontario Local School DistrictOntario	28.6 in	0.5
Northmor Local School DistrictGalion	31.1 in	1.1

The schools

5 schools

Every school in Clear Fork Valley follows the district’s call: one closing covers them all.

High

Clear Fork High School

Middle

Clear Fork Middle School

Elementary

Bellville Elementary School
Butler Elementary School, Butler

Other schools

Clear Fork Valley Preschool, Butler

Questions

Clear Fork Valley snow day questions

How much snow does Bellville get?

What was the biggest snow day near Clear Fork Valley?

How does the Clear Fork Valley snow day predictor work?

How does Ohio handle snow days?

Can Ohio schools hold a remote day instead?

More winter

More for Ohio snow days

Snow day predictorClosing and delay odds for any ZIP, with the snowiest districts in the country.Snow depth mapHow much snow is on the ground right now, measured, across the country.First snow datesWhen the first measurable snow usually lands where you live.Frozen pipesThe nights cold enough to freeze a pipe, and what to do before one.Snow plow trackerWhere the plows are during a storm, city by city.Ohio winter forecastThe season ahead for Ohio: snowfall, cold and the first snow.

A residential street under deep snow on a bright blue morning, cars parked along the curb buried into smooth white mounds, one set of tire tracks down the middle — The morning after a big one: cars buried to the mirrors and one set of tracks down the middle. A street like this is a closing, no debate. Photo, Fairfax, Virginia, January 2016: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY 4.0

The odds are a forecast read, and the superintendent makes the call: the district’s own announcement is the one to follow.